If This Be My Destiny
by Sunshine Spray
Summary: AU Buu Saga Rehash: It turns out school is the least of Gohan's worries. When bad omens from the future appear, Gohan thinks his destiny might include being a hero after all.
1. Chapter 1

"That's odd," Gohan said to himself. No one was around to hear him but the nimbus cloud. He had been riding on the magic cloud, edging closer and closer to Satan City when he felt a burst of energy radiating from the metropolis. It may have been years since Gohan did any martial arts training but some skills were still pure instinct to him. The last time he had felt such a powerful presence on Earth was the unexpected arrival of Frieza and his father coming to destroy Earth. Gohan remembered the first time he had felt the tyrant's energy, it had been like someone dumped a bowl of ice cubes down his shirt, overwhelmingly dark, cold, and evil. This was not like that, it was— But before Gohan could come up with the right thoughts to describe it, the mysterious presence was gone.

Gohan kept a keen eye out as he reached the edge of the city looking for anything out of the ordinary. Looking at his watch, he broke into a run; this was supposed to be his first day of school and his mom was scarier than Frieza could ever be. She would kill him if she got a call saying he was late or didn't show up. Still, he debated whether or not to follow up on the enigmatic energy signature.

He wasn't too far from making it to school when he noticed a commotion near the bank. "Another crime? What is with this town?" Gohan muttered to himself. _Mysterious energy and school will both have to wait. _He ducked behind a building ready to jump into action as a Super Saiyan like he had done previously when he had come into the city to register for classes. He was ready to jump up into the air and drop kick any ne'er-do-wells, but when he turned the corner he saw all the bad guys had been knocked out and being carted away in police cars.

"Huh?" Gohan couldn't help but utter. Forgetting where he was due at the moment, he slipped into the crowd unnoticed. He craned his head around to see if he could catch a glimpse of the hero slinking off; he even honed his senses to try and feel any ki that stood out but came up with nothing. Could the same person who foiled the crime be the same energy he felt only moments ago. It would be an incredible coincidence if it wasn't—

"Who did that?" a voice cut through his musings. "There's no way it was the cops."

Gohan turned to see a girl around his age looking a little out of breath. "Are you talking to me?"

"Of course I am," she said looking visibly annoyed. The crowd began to disperse leaving Gohan to jump around trying to get out of people's way; however, it seemed people didn't have a problem going around the girl as she stood her ground and stared him down waiting for an answer.

"Um, I don't know," Gohan answered honestly. He was just as curious as this girl and just as clueless. "I didn't see anything."

"Oh! Miss Videl!" an older man—one of the last stragglers—came up to the two teenagers excitedly. "I saw the whole thing! It was another Golden Fighter."

_Golden fighter? _Gohan knew he should have slinked off to school—after all, no one was in danger anymore—instead of listening in but he needed to know who this person was, strange visitors hadn't boded well for Earth in the past.

"Him again?" the girl known as Videl narrowed her eyes. _What? Again? Are they talking about me? _He hadn't exactly had his ear to the ground regarding the happenings of Satan City.

"No! Not him. A girl this time, maybe a partner," the old man revealed. At least Gohan now knew he was looking for a girl. He looked to the school building, biting his lip, torn between learning more and getting to class on time. He looked down at his watch again and gasped. _Only a few minutes before class starts!_

"Incredible!" the old man said, mistaking Gohan's gasp for awe. "She came in like a rocket, she did. Her hair was all blonde and spiky! She even had this light around her, just like the other golden fighter."

_Blonde and spiky hair? A glow around her? Uh oh. _If Gohan was deducing things correctly, it sounded a lot like there was another Super Saiyan around.

"The would-be robbers even had guns and fired but she caught their bullets and had them all down quicker than a blink of an eye," the old man continued his story. "She looked a little put out at the end, even a little roughed up but I never even saw them touch her! And then she just disappeared!" he said seemingly still caught up in the excitement.

"Thanks for the info," Videl said, still looking a little tense. Gohan certainly felt more than a little tense. _A girl? _There were no female Saiyans left—_no Saiyans, _full stop, except those on Earth. At least, that's what he thought, that's what he had been told. He was ready to be nervous, the last time Saiyans discovered the planet it didn't end too well for East City. Still, Gohan had to remember she wouldn't have stopped armed bank robbers if she was evil. He was even getting ahead of himself, he realized. Gold hair didn't mean Super Saiyan, it was common in humans, and Gohan knew that Saiyans didn't have a monopoly on martial arts prowess. For all he knew, it could have been Krillin's wife 18—but she didn't leave an energy signature or a glowing aura...

However, the old man wasn't done talking yet, "She might be one of your schoolmates. She looked mighty young. Didn't have a badge though..." he trailed off and walked away rubbing his chin in contemplation, leaving Gohan and the pushy girl alone. He finally got a good look at her and noted that she had the same badge as he did.

"Hey are you—" Gohan began to say only to realize she had already jogged away. Gohan looked down at his watch again. _Yikes! I better get a move on too! At the very least I should at least be able to beat that girl there._ Quickly, Gohan raced to the school he had visited a few times before, coincidentally when other major crimes were occurring or maybe it was no coincidence and the city was a hotbed for crime.

He figured the first Golden Fighter they were talking about was him; it certainly sounded like him. He resolved to keep his senses on alert for the same energy signature. If what the old man said was right, she might be injured and still around.

Gohan hightailed it to school making it just in time behind the teacher; however, if he thought he was going to just be allowed to find a seat and disappear into the crowd, he was wrong.

"Ahem," the teacher cleared his throat drawing the attention of the class to him. "I'd like you to meet a new student today." _Uh oh, _Gohan hadn't prepared for this and froze at the door. He had never been to a real school before and suddenly he was on the spot and beads of sweat started to form on his forehead.

"Come on in…" the teacher coaxed him but said nothing else.

"H-hello...my name is Son Gohan. It's n-nice to meet you," Gohan managed to stutter out to the class not knowing what else to do and just stood for a moment still frozen. He had faced death down and still he was intimidated when faced with his peers. There had to be at least thirty faces just staring at him. What were they waiting for? For him to do a little dance?

"Take a seat please," the teacher said somewhat annoyed after a few moments of Gohan just standing there and went to his desk to take a silent attendance.

"Y-yes," Gohan said, again stumbling over his words. "Um...uh…" he couldn't help but vocalize looking through the classroom to find an empty seat. It seemed all those faces staring at him previously, found themselves interested in other things and he had no idea where he would be welcomed.

To Gohan's immense relief, he heard a voice from a few rows up shout, "Over here!" Gohan looked to see a pretty blonde girl waving him over and indicating to an empty seat next to her. To his surprise, he saw the Videl girl from earlier seated next to the girl who invited him over.

"I'm Erasa, Gohan," the blonde girl said introducing herself with a handshake. "I'm a friend of Videl's," she added like Gohan was supposed to know who Videl was. _I mean, I do, but she doesn't know that._

"Um, hi," he said to the girl with pigtails. They hadn't had a proper greeting earlier, he realized.

"Videl is Mr. Satan's daughter," Erasa said with a hint of expectation in her voice. _What? Mr. Satan? Who is Mr. Satan? _Gohan had to think for a moment before it hit him. _That buffoon?_

"N-no kidding," Gohan said settling into his seat. He didn't particularly think highly of the man though he knew everyone else did. It wasn't as if they hadn't renamed the city for him. All the same, Gohan kept his mouth shut regarding the fraud.

"Yeah, now I remember," Videl said looking him up and down. "You were at the bank robbery this morning."

Erasa began to giggle, "Oh would you stop, Videl. Can you believe this?" Erasa turned to Gohan. "She came in today accusing Sharpner and me of being a crime-fighting team, the Golden Fighters."

"Huh? What?" Gohan knew from the old man earlier this morning that the town had been buzzing about the "Golden Fighter" but he didn't realize his two incidents of heroism were blowing up but there was still the slim possibility they were talking about someone else.

"Oh yeah, you're new here," Erasa began to explain. "The Golden Fighter is this hero that's popped up two times in ten days and I guess he has a girl partner too. They're super strong with spiky gold hair. They're the talk of the town." There was no doubt now that they were definitely talking about Gohan. _By all accounts, she and I have the same appearance. _Gohan was running out of reasons not to suspect another Super Saiyan.

"Hey you three!" the teacher settled his attention on Gohan, Erasa, and Videl. "Quiet down!" he demanded.

Gohan stood up straight and was ready to pay attention. It wouldn't do well for him to disrespect the teacher on the first day.

"Whatever," Videl huffed quietly near him. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this," she said to herself.

Gohan buried his face in his book, feeling the threat coming his way.

Despite Erasa still whispering to him throughout the class, Gohan managed to take notes diligently until the class was over but his mind was still distracted by the other "Golden Fighter." He resolved to do the same as Videl and find out who she was. It seemed unfair almost. Trouble seemed to follow Gohan everywhere.

He impressed precisely no one when it came to playing baseball. He had been too anxious and couldn't wait to leave school so he could do some investigating of his own. As a result, he failed to catch the home run Sharpner had hit or any of the other balls hit his way. When it came time to bat, he was struck out easily or hit by a pitch. It was for the best he supposed. His mom and Bulma had said there would be too much of a fuss if people knew what he was capable of.

Finally, the day was over and he stood at his locker contemplating what course of action to take to find his female counterpart.

"Hey you," Gohan heard Sharpner call out to him. "What sport are you taking?

"Um...I hadn't thought about it…" Gohan answered honestly. He didn't have time for sports. How could he think about sports or even schoolwork when there was potentially another Saiyan running around with unknown intentions? Nevermind that his abilities would put him at an unfair advantage.

"Just make sure it's not baseball," Sharpner joked. "You should go out for boxing. You're sturdy enough considering all those hits you took to the head. I'm sure you'll do great," he said sincerely.

"Thanks but I don't think I'm going to try out for anything—"

"Yeah!" Gohan was interrupted by Erasa who had just approached the two. "He lives so far away, he doesn't have time for sports!" Then she quickly pivoted to Gohan. "Do you think you could give me a ride home?"

"Huh?!" _I don't have a car! Wait, stupid! How else do they think you get here from East 439? _"Oh um, my ride only seats one, sorry." _Not technically a lie. _"Speaking of, gotta go, you know how that commute takes forever! Bye!" he said when beads of sweat started to form from his nervous energy. He bolted without another word.

Frustratingly enough, Gohan didn't know how to start his search, should he go to Piccolo and Dende? They watched over the Earth, perhaps they had felt something? Instead, he opted to take in an aerial view of Satan City and look out for any odd movements with his keen eyes. After two hours of patrolling and growing restless, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. _Was she even staying around Satan City? What if she was just passing through? _He had to ask himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Erasa's friend Videl rushing somewhere. She seemed to be in the know, especially when there was trouble. Maybe if he followed her, she might lead him to some key information? It was worth a try.

There were very few on Earth who could sense energy, but still, Gohan hid his just in case as he stayed out of sight while following Videl. He saw her rush into a police station and lamented the fact that he did not have the extraordinary hearing of his mentor Piccolo. It would be nearly impossible to hear through the walls. Luck, for once, seemed to be on his side, however. As soon as Videl walked in, she immediately came back out with an officer. Gohan stayed where he was hidden on the side of the building to listen in.

"Yup," Gohan heard the policeman say. "Just got a call of another Golden Fighter sighting. I'm on my way now. Do you need a ride, Miss Videl?"

"No thanks," she said. "Do you know if it was the male or the female this time?" Gohan edged closer in anticipation. It had to be her, after all, it hadn't been him.

"The girl," the officer said plainly. "Seems there were these wannabe thugs driving around recklessly and speeding, almost hit a kid. Witnesses say the lady came outta nowhere and got him out of the way in time. Heh, nearly destroyed those goons' car."

_How had he missed this incident? Stupid! If you would have waited a little longer you probably could have caught her instead of following Videl!_

"Where did it happen?" _Thanks for asking the important questions, Videl!_

"Down the street from the bank robbery earlier on the northside. Sure you don't want a ride?"

"There's no point, she's probably gone by now," Gohan heard her sigh.

"Alright, I'm going to interview the kid, I'll let you know if I hear anything new." Gohan then heard the tell-tale sign of a car engine revving up and a car pulling away but he hadn't able to discern the movement of Videl. He looked around the corner only to come face-to-face with said girl.

"Following a girl is really creepy, you know," she said, anger evident in her face. "Luckily for me, I'm the daughter of the strongest man in the world and I intend to carry on his legacy," she said cracking her knuckles.

Gohan gulped, this was definitely not the way things were supposed to be going. He was sweating bullets now, how was he going to get out of this? He didn't want to take a beating but he certainly didn't want to be discovered. He weighed his options and resolved to take the beating. He just hoped she wasn't as strong as he felt she was. Who was he kidding? She was way stronger than the average human.

"Just tell me why you were following me and maybe I won't beat you up. If this is a kidnapping and ransom attempt, I'm letting you know right away I've had my fair share. That and a police station is a really crappy place to try to abduct someone," she said smirking and getting into a fighting stance.

Gohan's eyes bugged out in shock. He of all people wouldn't be out to do anything nefarious, then again, Videl didn't actually know him. "No! I swear, nothing like that!" he let out in a panic and shook his palms out in front of him. "I'm doing what you are; looking for the Golden Fighter!" he told her the truth in his panic. _Dammit! Why couldn't Piccolo's training have included how to lie properly?_

"You thought I was the Golden Fighter?" she looked at him skeptically with an eyebrow raised. Much to Gohan's relief, she didn't seem primed to fight anymore. "You realize my hair is black? And we saw each other this morning after the robbery."

"Uh, not exactly, I just thought you might know something," he said rubbing the back of his neck and wishing he was far away from here.

"Okay, but why are _you_ looking for the Golden Fighter and which one?" she said stepping toward him aggressively. She was tiny but somehow she managed to stare him down.

Under the scrutiny of her gaze, Gohan couldn't help but blurt out the truth, "The girl!" _Trunks is a bit of a shifty kid, maybe he can teach me how to lie?_

Videl looked at him with such an intensity he thought he might have burst into flames.

"Don't you live super far away? Shouldn't you have been on a jet plane hours ago?" she said, her features growing with suspicion. He was relieved for the change of subject.

"Right!" Gohan managed to choke out. His throat was incredibly dry all of a sudden. "You are absolutely right. Better get going. If you'll excuse me," he said running off like a coward. Thankfully, Videl let him go and didn't follow, he could tell by her energy signature still at the police station.

Maybe he should drop this whole thing. Investigating might only lead to him exposing his own power. He was far enough from Videl that he felt comfortable enough to call the flying nimbus to take him home. _That was a close one,_ he thought as he was riding the cloud on his way home. He was just grateful he was able to get away without Videl escalating the kidnapping accusations.

On the next morning's ride to school Gohan lamented having to use the nimbus cloud as cover from above, he would get to school quicker if he was able to fly to school under his own power and therefore, sleep in. _Maybe I can get Bulma to make me a disguise? _He contemplated while he made it to Satan City. He was trying to make it into town a little earlier in case anything happened like yesterday morning.

"You're here early!" Gohan was greeted by his locker neighbor. Gohan didn't get in as much as a good morning before his neighbor launched into a spiel, "Have you heard about the new superhero who showed up yesterday? They're calling her the Golden Fighter's partner. She's super strong, maybe even more than the guy. Heard she's really cute too."

"Is that so?" Gohan said a little ticked off. "She can't really be stronger than the first Golden Fighter, can she?" _And better looking than me? _Though he left the second part unsaid for obvious reasons.

His classmate merely shrugged, "Don't know." He grabbed his books and headed off to class, "See you later." Gohan followed his lead and went to his own classroom.

He sat there trying to comprehend the words on the pages but his mind drifted back to the other Super Saiyan about. People milled in and chatted but Gohan found himself engaged in no conversation; he was entirely too preoccupied with keeping his senses honed, ready to act when he felt that spike of mysterious energy.

There was no unexpected ki but rather it was the beeping of Videl's watch in history class that eventually distracted him from his senses.

"_Two armed robbers in Backpack Town! We're in pursuit along Route 8! Towards the mountain!" _Gohan heard the dispatch coming from Videl's communicator that cut through the teacher's boring lecture. Videl hastily stood up and made a run for it.

"I have to go!" she shouted at the alarmed teacher.

"Be safe, dear!" she called out to Videl who was already out the door. The odd part to Gohan, however, was how no one really batted an eye.

"What's going on?" he turned to ask Erasa.

"It's Videl's hobby. She calls herself a champion of justice. She's pretty tough so the cops ask her for help a lot," Erasa explained and looked utterly unphased her friend was going up against armed criminals. From what Gohan knew, bullets didn't bounce of humans the way they did for his group.

"What?!" he said a little too loudly but luckily he didn't draw the attention of their teacher. "They ask her…?" He couldn't believe it.

"Don't underestimate her," Sharpner joined in their conversation. "She's way stronger than I am, she can probably rival her old man."

_Rival her dad? Maybe at getting in over her head! _Gohan tried to stay calm and focus on the lesson while putting trust in Videl's abilities. _She said she's been in sticky situations before, should I just…? _But before Gohan could complete his thought, he felt the shock of the same powerful and familiar energy that appeared yesterday. _Of course! She's got this covered. _Gohan began to relax. _Wait! This is the perfect opportunity to draw her out!_

"I've got to go too!" Gohan declared loudly, turning the entire class's attention on him. He didn't wait for his teacher to give him permission and just bolted for the door, rushing to the powerful energy. He didn't even bother using the nimbus cloud, he needed to get there as soon as possible lest she mask her energy again like she had been doing.

Gohan made it to the scene before Videl and her jet plane only to see the mysterious girl, who—by now—he could tell was definitely a Super Saiyan, struggling to stay in her form but he couldn't take the time to appreciate the sight of a female Super Saiyan. She had made easy work of the big guy but the smaller one had thrown a smoke bomb leaving her disoriented and went to make his getaway. _What do I do? _He didn't want to scare her off but he couldn't let the bad guy get away or kick ass in his regular form. No doubt Videl would be here soon and ready to expose him.

Before he could make a decision, the mysterious girl rose up from the smoke and flew after the other robber. The getaway car was a convertible and she managed to knock the guy out with a punch to the head. Gohan was impressed, to say the least, but very soon, he heard sirens and the whirl of a jet coming near. The girl did too and looked around jumpy and visibly hesitating until her eyes made contact with Gohan's. _Did she not even realize I was here? _Her mouth parted with a small terrified gasp and she sped away. _Oh no, you don't! _Gohan thought as he chased her, his mind barely registered how familiar her visage looked. There was no way he could catch up to her in her base form so he had no choice but to transform as well. She had gotten far enough from him that she seemingly felt comfortable in dropping her Super Saiyan form, effectively bringing her energy to zero, but another gift his Saiyan heritage had given to him was his acute sense of smell and he had managed to pick up her scent. She smelled a bit earthy like after a rainstorm but with an undertone of fruits and flowers, ones that weren't common on this part of the continent and therefore easy to pick out.

The trail led him to a dense forest on the outskirts of the city, there were no well-worn paths to walk, it was just Gohan and his nose finding the way to her. He hadn't had much time to study her visually but he noticed the old man yesterday had been right. She did appear to be injured but there was no way a human had done that to her. _What on Earth could hurt a Super Saiyan? Where did she even come from? _Then he finally saw in the middle of the forest, a capsule house and a blue-haired girl struggling to get in. _Bulma?! _Upon seeing her blue hair, he realized where he had seen her face before, but Bulma was no Saiyan and she didn't wear her hair that way when he last saw her.

Gohan hadn't noticed in the brief time he was able to observe her but now he could see how disheveled and tangled her hair was and how her clothes were torn and ruddy with stains. _Blood?! _He no longer cared whether he scared her off or not, she needed help and right away. Despite hiding her energy, he could tell she was getting weaker and Gohan could tell it wasn't intentional. Quickly, she turned but he wasn't able to see her face to confirm who he thought she looked like, as the weak blast she sent his way obscured his vision.

"Go away," she said shakily holding out a broken sword as she struggled to stay on her feet. When he flicked away her blast and powered down, he finally got a good up close and personal look at her. He couldn't hold back his gasp, he wasn't wrong. _She does look just like Bulma!_ However, he had no time to question the girl as her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she slumped to the ground, that last ki blast stealing away the rest of her energy.


	2. Chapter 2

Gohan had seen his fair share of incapacitated fighters, more than enough for a lifetime but still, he froze for a moment in shock, not knowing what to do when he saw the blue-haired girl slumped over and unconscious. _What would dad have done? _He asked himself. The Lookout was his first thought but Gohan dismissed the idea as no doubt the thin air might be the worst thing for the unconscious Saiyan girl who looked like Bulma. Making up his mind, he scooped up the mysterious girl in his arms and flew as fast as he could to the isolated mountain where he lived. She wasn't exactly still, she was twitching and making the occasional sound. _That was good, right?_

Looking at the girl in his arms, Gohan was growing increasingly worried about her state, practically dismissing his concerns over her motives. He knew she had been masking her ki before but now it felt her dip in energy was unintentional and Gohan worried whether or not she would survive if he didn't get help quickly enough.

Other thoughts were invading his mind, however, just as unpleasant as her potential demise. The girl looked like Bulma but she was Saiyan. More to the point, she looked around his age, a teenager. Vegeta hadn't made landfall until about ten years ago. Gohan bit his lip knowing the only other Saiyan around Earth—and Bulma—was his father...

Gohan shook his head from those thoughts, he had to focus on getting the girl help. Knowing he had to fly low to make the trip easier on the girl in his arms, he transformed into who the denizens of Satan City had taken to calling him: the Golden Fighter. Flying as himself would likely out his abilities and he had no desire to become more of a sensation than he already was.

As fast as he was flying, he made it to his home in mere minutes. Right as he was about to descend, he saw his mother barge through the front door with a red angry aura around her.

"Son Gohan! Just what do you think you were doing?! I just got a call from the school that you ran out of the classroom and now you're here ditching school like some sort of delinquent?!" she screamed at him once he touched his feet to the ground.

"Not now, mom!" he yelled back at her. Gohan perhaps only lost his temper with his mother once and she had been taken aback then, she looked more shocked even now and ready to slap him. "It was an emergency," he explained more calmly giving Chi Chi the opportunity to see what he had in his arms.

Her shock turned to concern and she took in a sharp breath and covered her mouth with her hands. "Don't you think a hospital should have been your destination? We don't even have a doctor in the nearest village," Chi Chi said, her voice now fretful and filled with concern. His mother scrutinized the girl and gasped once again, "She looks just like Bulma."

"I know," Gohan said. _And she's at least part Saiyan. _He kept that thought to himself not wanting his mother to come to any conclusions that might hurt her.

"Goten!" Chi Chi barked into the house and taking charge of the situation. "Get some blankets and lay them on the table!" she said jumping into action. "C'mon, hurry, bring her inside, she looks in bad shape," she ordered. Chi Chi put delicate hands on the mysterious girl's face and her expression turned grave. "Can you feel that? She's burning up."

No, Gohan hadn't noticed. He had been too busy wondering if she was his sister to worry about her vitals, he thought guiltily.

Goten made quick work of setting up their kitchen table as a makeshift operating table and Gohan was able to lay her down and really get a good look at her.

"Wow, she's really pretty, Gohan," Goten said taking in the looks of the girl, his eyes alight and face full of wonder but it was far from an enchanting moment. Indeed, she was beautiful, she had Bulma's features though they were a bit harsher and her hair was long unlike Bulma who, in recent memory, kept it incredibly short. Upon a closer look, Gohan could see the dark circles under her eyes, her dry cracked lips and how her cheeks had sunk in. He probably spent more time than he should have to look for his father's features in her face instead of running to fetch Dende. Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part but he didn't think he saw his father there.

"Don't just stand there, get out of my way!" Chi Chi yelled at Gohan who had spent his time studying her features than doing anything helpful. The familiar looking jacket she was wearing—that was at least three sizes too big, Gohan noted—had been buttoned up and when Chi Chi exposed the shirt underneath Gohan immediately knew why. Her faded and threadbare black shirt was in ribbons and the only thing that was holding it together was the blood making the fabric stick to her skin. Gohan wondered why he hadn't smelled how wounded she was earlier.

"Good Lord!" his mother couldn't help but exclaim horrified. "Goten!" she called to Gohan's younger brother again. "Go get me some cold water and a soft cloth." Goten sprung into action, the previous wonder on his face gone, replaced with fear.

"I'm going to bring Dende and Piccolo, they might be able to do something." If he couldn't bring her to Dende he could at least bring Dende to her. Chi Chi nodded to him in acknowledgment and worked to tending to the girl.

Gohan was so determined to reach the Lookout as fast as possible that he arrived in seconds. It seemed that Piccolo and Dende knew he was coming because they were standing outside the temple seemingly waiting for him.

"Gohan," Piccolo addressed him first. "What's going on? We've been feeling that power since yesterday."

"Then you know she has good intentions," Gohan stated plainly. He didn't have proof of that but her actions seemed to indicate she wasn't there to do harm.

"She?" Piccolo asked looking surprised and less stern than when Gohan arrived.

Gohan nodded, "You can interrogate me later. We can find out more as long as she doesn't die." Gohan saw no point in being indirect. "Right now she's at my house in real bad shape, can you two come with me?"

The Namekians nodded and Gohan grabbed Dende knowing the younger Namekian was not as strong of a flyer as he and Piccolo were. And just as quickly as Gohan made it to the Lookout did they arrive back to the house on Mount Paozu in record time.

The guardian of Earth looked a little woozy from the ride but Gohan couldn't focus on that, his concern was for the girl on the table whom his mother was attending to. She was still twitching and moaning in pain.

Gohan saw Chi Chi release some of the visible tension in her visage when he had returned with reinforcements. "Thank god—well, you, Dende," she said. "Come here and look at this," she had them approach the injured girl while she lifted the girl's shirt to show her abdomen. Gohan stumbled back in alarm. He looked around, glad to see his mother had banished Goten from the room. _He didn't need to see this. __**I **__didn't need to see this._

She had two deep gashes that formed a swollen and red X over her stomach. The lines were jagged like the wounds had been made by some otherworldly weapon. _What could have done this? How did she manage to fight for so long? _Worse still, it looked like someone had tried to cauterize the wound but didn't clean it, giving off a horrible infectious smell.

After Dende had regained his bearings, the small Namekian went forward to heal the girl but Piccolo stopped the guardian of Earth and gripped his wrist.

"What are you doing?" Gohan rushed to his greatest friend with impatience. "Can't you see what a state she's in? Why are you wasting time?"

"You have a soft heart but we don't know anything about this girl or where she came from," Piccolo pointed out.

"The world has been at peace for seven years, Mr. Piccolo," Chi Chi weighed in on the argument. "Hang up your warrior hat and have some compassion for the girl!"

"What if whatever did this to her is on its way here?" Piccolo countered. "What if she had this coming for certain misdeeds?"

"I can't believe you—" Chi Chi started to argue but Gohan cut her off.

"No, she's not evil, I can tell. I can feel it," Gohan insisted. "She wouldn't have stopped those bank robbers or saved a child from a reckless driver if she was. And—" he paused. "I'm pretty sure she hurled a Masenko at me." An idea came to Gohan's head, "Go ahead Piccolo, read her mind, you can probably find out for yourself."

"That was my idea all along," he said. The large Namekian approached the table where the girl was writhing in pain but still unconscious or at least too weak to vocalize anything other than whimpers. Piccolo placed his hand on her forehead but recoiled after a few seconds gasping and looking horrified like Gohan had seen many times before when they were faced with a seemingly unbeatable enemy.

"Dende," Piccolo said after regaining his composure. "Do it," he ordered.

The little Namekian rushed to the mystery girl's side waving his hands over her and using his energy to heal her wounds. Soon, the girl stopped her labored breathing and sounds of pain and fell into a deep even sleep.

Dende looked absolutely winded. "I was able to heal the wounds but she'll need plenty of rest to clear the infection coursing through her body. With the way you Saiyans heal it shouldn't be a problem," he said with a small smile but it soon fell and he frowned. "I'm sure you can tell she's had it rough but she's also dehydrated and malnourished. Make sure she has food and water when she wakes up."

"Of course," Chi Chi said with atypical kindness. "We'll take care of her." Immediately, Chi Chi went to start cleaning the girl where the dried blood had been over the newly healed skin and shooed everyone else out of the room, completely ignoring what Dende had revealed about the girl being half Saiyan.

"Piccolo, can you fix her clothes for her? Get rid of the holes, tears, and stains?" Gohan suggested as the Namekians started leaving. Piccolo nodded and used his power to reform the material of her clothes.

"You've done that, now go until I clean her up!" Chi Chi ordered. The three didn't need telling twice and exited the house. Gohan was more curious now than ever about the girl. Piccolo's reaction to reading her mind did not bode well for their world.

"What did you see, Piccolo?" Gohan turned to his mentor not bothering with any thanks or pleasantries.

"She looks like Bulma and she's half-Saiyan…" he trailed off. "Your father?" he said uneasily.

"I don't know," Gohan said, bile and stress overtaking him at the possibility. It was one problem after another. "But how could she have been hidden so long? I don't think Bulma is the type to hide her child away as a shameful secret."

"I wasn't able to get a good read on her but she's definitely related to Bulma somehow, from the flashes of her memories, I know that's her true form."

"What else was there?" Gohan asked.

"Chaos. Barrenness. Pain. Too much pain. Then finally, everything fading away," Piccolo answered. Gohan didn't know what to make of what Piccolo just said. _Everything fading away? _What was that supposed to mean?

Piccolo nor Dende offered no more clarity and prepared to leave. "Come see me when she wakes up. I think her being here means grave complications for Earth's future," Piccolo warned before turning swiftly and taking off.

"Thank you, Dende!" Gohan made sure to call out to the guardian of Earth who smiled and waved at Gohan before flying back to the Lookout.

Gohan had found the girl the people of Satan City had been calling the second Golden Fighter but Gohan felt he had more questions than he started out with.

"Gohan!" he heard his mom yell when he tried to enter the front door of their home. "Go back to school! We don't need you here!"

"School?" _That's right! Is history class over?_ So preoccupied was he that Gohan hadn't even remembered it was still a school day. Gohan didn't even consider challenging his mother and flew up high enough not to be seen by anyone from below. The shorter his absence, the better. He had no established routine for coming and going from school but this time he opted to land on the school roof and use the stairwell down and jogged back to the classroom where, by his calculation, there were ten or so minutes left of history class.

"Just where did you go, young man!?" his history teacher demanded as soon as he walked through the door.

_What were you thinking Gohan? You should have just waited to return until the next class! No questions except from the other students. In private! _He scolded himself. He looked down at his watch noting the class was almost over.

"Um...I...uh…" Gohan tried to think of an excuse, regretting he had not had the opportunity to learn deceit from Trunks. "I needed to go to the bathroom," he said settling on that reason. People often had to go to the bathroom, it wasn't that unusual.

"For _forty-five_ minutes?" his teacher looked appalled. _Stupid! It's normal to go to the bathroom for that long unless you have a medical condition!_

"Uh, yeah, digestive issues," he said turning beet red. _Of course, I end up picking the most humiliating excuse._

"You need to eat more fiber!" a random voice spoke from the student seating causing the whole class to erupt in uproarious laughter.

Gohan scrambled to his seat next to Erasa and put his head down hoping no one would pay attention to him for the rest of the lesson but he was still feeling antsy thinking about the girl at home. _Who is she? Is she my sister? _It was niggling at the back of his mind for the rest of the day at school and though he tried, he couldn't escape his anxious thoughts. When the final bell rang, Gohan shot out of his seat like a cannon eager to get home to see if she was awake but, regrettably, first he needed to go to his locker to gather the books he needed for his schoolwork.

_Where is that damn vocabulary workbook? _Gohan thought, looking through his tidy stack of books.

"Ahem," a voice clearing her throat, grabbing his attention from behind his open locker door.

"Yes?" he asked trying not to sound impatient. _What if she already woke up? Would she do anything to mom or Goten? _He kept his head in his locker under the guise of looking busy.

"Since you're so interested in the female Golden Fighter, you might want to know there was another sighting today," Videl informed him.

"Oh really?" he said disinterested and ready for Videl to move along. He already knew, he even had the female Golden Fighter at his house but he wasn't going to let Videl know that.

"Yup!" she said. "Heard she can fly too, isn't that interesting? My dad says it's all a trick of course but I saw both of them flying with my own eyes," she said without her trademark aggressiveness. Gohan went cold. _Both of them? As in me too? Uh oh. _He was glad he had kept his face from her view as he knew his expression was betraying him at the moment.

"That's crazy," he said hoping to sound interested and surprised instead of fearful. What a day this was turning out to be.

"Yeah, it is. Funny though, I heard you weren't in history class when the whole thing went down," her voice so subtly changed tone that Gohan almost missed the accusatory lilt.

"Um yeah, stomach issues," he said gathering the rest of books and shutting his locker finally revealing the diminutive but powerful girl. He tried to make his face neutral. From what he was discerning about Hercule Satan's daughter was that she was sharp and prone to jump on details. He was no exception, Videl was staring at him intently scrutinizing his features most likely looking for a lie.

"I didn't get a good look at the guy but one thing was unmistakable," she said leaning up closer to his face, giving him a close up look of her periwinkle eyes. They were quite lovely he thought. "He had on our school badge."

"Woah," he said with genuine shock on his face. He just hoped his acting was good enough to pull off his next line, "You think the Golden Fighter goes to this school?" He tried to say it in a conspiratorial whisper as if Videl was genuinely letting him in on her hypothesis instead of fishing for a reaction from him.

It seemed to work because her looks turned puzzled for a second but she quickly went back to cool mode. "Just thought you might like to know," she said before walking away. Gohan made sure she was completely gone from sight before he started to dart around town to find a good spot to call the nimbus cloud; however, he could still feel her stationary energy not far away from him.

As he winded down the city streets, Gohan tried not to show he knew he was being followed. It seemed Videl had not entirely bought his fake intrigue. He had to give her credit, if his senses weren't so sharp and superhuman, he would have had no idea that she was following him, she stayed out of sight and made almost no noise. She crept quietly behind him while also keeping pace with him. When he sped up, so did she. When he turned around, she was already out of sight. He finally lost her when he turned in front of a tall building and ascended to the top before she made it around the corner. He particularly enjoyed the sight below of Videl looking around wildly for where he went and then giving up. He couldn't stay and watch forever, however. He needed to get home and see if their patient was awake yet.

Gohan jumped on the nimbus cloud and rode it all the way home despite knowing flying himself would be a lot quicker but Videl was already onto him. All she might need was a witness giving his description and she would have it figured all out.

While the cloud was slower than him, it was still faster than anything a human could make and it wasn't long before he was back home. It had been hours since he had been sent back to school by his mother and he figured it was safe to come in now, as no doubt, his mom had finished cleaning off the blood from their "guest."

He couldn't resist and barged in running. "Has she woken up yet, mom?" he asked.

"Shhh!" Chi Chi admonished. "Be quiet," she harshly whispered from her place near where the girl still laid peacefully on their table. "She's still asleep and burning up. Dende might have fixed her wounds but she still needs plenty of rest to beat the infection."

"Sorry," Gohan said quietly, feeling guilty about the ruckus he had made. "How long do you think until she wakes up?" he had to ask.

Chi Chi sighed sadly, "I don't know. It could be days." Gohan was a little put out by that but also worried.

"Mom?" he had to get an honest answer from her. She seemed on board but what if he did wrong? Had she questioned how there could be a Saiyan girl who looked like Bulma? Did she draw the simplest conclusion as he had? "Are you worried about what came after her coming for us because I brought her here?" Gohan hadn't thought about the consequences when he was just focused on keeping the part Saiyan girl alive but like always, his mentor had taught him something new. Gohan left his _other_ worries unsaid.

Chi-Chi turned to him harshly looking livid for a moment but resigned her features to exhaustion, "Truth be told, I'm more than a little concerned, but I could never turn her away if she was in danger and needed a safe place to stay," she said softly and looking at the disheveled girl in pity. "She's so young," Chi-Chi said, moving a strand of hair away from the girl's face.

"When your father got that heart virus, his friends didn't turn us away even though we were bringing danger to them," Chi Chi said, still staring at the girl and not at her son. "I was never so thankful that your father had such great friends. Who knew what would have happened if they had found us here when he was in the midst of the virus?" Gohan saw tears forming in the corner of his mother's eyes as well as feeling the lump forming in his throat from his own pain at his father's untimely death.

His mother wiped her eyes with her long yellow sleeve and changed her demeanor immediately to that of a drill sergeant. "So first thing you're going to do is help Goten clean your room. And, by the way, it's not your room anymore. We're going to put the girl there. Goten can bunk with me but you get the couch. Understand?" she said and turned away without waiting for a response.

Gohan did as he was told and he and Goten made quick of the room. Once it was ready, Gohan lifted the girl bridal style and carried her to his bed. With his strength, he wasn't the best gauge of what or wasn't heavy but even he could tell the girl was lighter than she looked. He definitely noticed the way her ribs had stuck out when his mom had revealed the girl's worst wound. Not even the girl's muscles could conceal she was on her way to becoming emaciated. It was odd, while food on Earth wasn't necessarily free, a Saiyan could easily hunt around for wild game or forage. Was she not from Earth?

After Gohan put her down, Goten kneeled by her bedside with his head propped up on his elbows, holding a vigil for the peacefully sleeping girl. "She's so pretty. Do you think she's a princess?" the little boy asked Gohan, his eyes wide, showing his curiosity to his older brother.

Suddenly, that made something click in Gohan's head. He couldn't see a resemblance to Goku in her face because there was none. He saw it now, the sharp cheekbones...the prominent brow… Bulma didn't have those features but Vegeta did. She wasn't _Gohan's _sister but maybe she was someone else's. Gohan took a closer inspection of the jacket Piccolo had repaired. Gohan had seen it before, he knew he had. It was cropped, indigo, with a Capsule Corp logo on the upper sleeve. It was too big for her as if it wasn't actually hers in the first place. Who had he seen this on before? _She looks like Bulma—but with mistakes—she can transform into a Super Saiyan...she used a Masenko...it's not like time machines are unheard of_…_Could she be from Future Trunks' timeline? Was she Trunks' sister? Trunks had never mentioned a sister…._

* * *

Thank you to you awesome people that reviewed. To those I couldn't send a PM to, rest assured, I am just as grateful receiving your reviews. Thank you so much. It's because of you guys I opted to get this chapter through this week instead of next week. Never underestimate your power! Just to let you know, I accept critical feedback so if you don't like something you can tell me and we can fight about it, lol.


	3. Chapter 3

Gohan did not have an easy sleep, least of all because the couch was uncomfortable but also because of what he suspected about the girl in his room. Bulma and Vegeta didn't have a daughter, at least not yet but who else could she be? She was related to Bulma, that was unmistakable. What had Trunks said when he returned to help fight the androids? Nothing he did here affected his future? So she was probably free to act as she wished, but why was she even here? Trunks had managed to defeat the androids in his timeline, that's the whole reason Cell traveled back in time too. Was she from an entirely different timeline where Bulma and Vegeta had had a daughter instead of a son? And something more catastrophic happened? Was she even from that era? Was she a far-flung descendent of the Briefs clan? Just how long would it be until armageddon? He fell into a restless sleep with his mind asking him these questions over and over again.

The next thing Gohan knew was his watch was beeping to wake him up. It took a moment for him to realize he wasn't in his own bed and rather who else was. His mom was nowhere to be found either. Typically, she would have already woken him up with the noise she made getting breakfast ready. Hoping that meant the girl was awake already, Gohan rushed over to his bedroom.

The door was slightly ajar and he peeked to see the girl still resting and fast asleep and his mother dabbing her forehead with a wet cloth. As if sensing him there, Chi Chi looked up straight at Gohan and nodded her head at him to come in.

"She was up for a few minutes," she explained without needing prompting from Gohan. "Enough to get some broth and water, thankfully. I don't know what we would do if she didn't." Gohan moved closer to his mom and the girl whose name he didn't know. It was odd to keep thinking of her as 'the girl' but what else could he call her? Not Bulma?

"Did she say anything?" Gohan had to ask. He tried to focus on his mother's face but his eyes wandered to the sleeping beauty on his bed. Unlike yesterday, she looked fairly peaceful and she had regained some color.

Chi Chi snapped her fingers, drawing Gohan's attention back to his mom. She looked at him, her face going from soft to stern, "No and I did not ask her anything and neither should you until she's back on her feet."

"I didn't mean—"

"I know," Chi Chi cut him off sharply though her tone lost its edge. She went back to focus on the sleeping girl and gently felt her forehead. "She's still delirious. Poor thing. She was crying for her mother in her sleep," her voice broke at the last part. There was a pregnant pause before Chi Chi spoke again, "Speaking of, she's clearly related to Bulma in some way. When are you going to tell her?"

"Should we?" Gohan mused aloud. "If it turns out what I think is true, maybe it's better to wait a bit."

Chi Chi looked at him bemused and frowning, "What are you thinking?"

"I think she's from the future."

Chi Chi's mouth dropped open before she caught herself. "The future?!" she harshly whispered, still keeping in mind their mystery guest was asleep right next to them.

"If I had to guess," Gohan shrugged. "She looks like Bulma but I also can see some Vegeta." Gohan hadn't missed the way his mother's shoulders seemed to relax at his statement. _So she had the same idea I did…_

"So why does that mean we shouldn't tell Bulma and Vegeta about her? If she's their child, they have a right to know what she's doing here—"

"No!" Gohan almost shouted. He suspected what would happen. They'd whisk the girl off to Capsule Corp and he might never find out why she was here. He wasn't afraid of Bulma and Vegeta restricting access to the girl but his own mother. If she could, he knew Chi Chi would hand off the situation to someone else. Not even the threat of total annihilation would get Chi Chi involved, nor would she allow her offspring to get into the thick of things. "What I mean is, if Bulma and Vegeta get wind of them having another kid, she might never be born," he lied knowing nothing that happened in this timeline would affect hers.

Chi Chi looked a little deflated but nodded her head, "I suppose we can't risk that."

"Right!" Gohan agreed. "We can let them know eventually. When she gets better, when we know more," he added.

Chi Chi huffed but nodded, "She's not going to be kept a secret forever. We'll definitely need Bulma's help getting her back to where she's supposed to be." Once again, as she had been doing since yesterday, Chi Chi sighed wearily, "I guess you're right. Our main focus right now should be on getting her better, no need to induce stress and cause panic." She continued to press the cloth to the blue haired girl's forehead looking on in concern. Then she turned sharply to Gohan, "Now get ready for school or else you're going to be late! And make breakfast for you and Goten!" she ordered.

Gohan did as he was told but he was in no hurry to get to school. He wanted to stay home in case she woke up for good. There was no way his mom would allow that though. In fact, she pushed him out the door when he lingered by his bedroom for one last glance at the girl. Then when he made it to school, he was served with detention for his escapade the other day and had to deal with off-color jokes about his digestive system. The hours ticked by so agonizingly slowly that Gohan could swear he saw the minute hand move back instead of forward when he was watching the clock during his detention.

When it was finally time that he could go home he was very surprised to see Videl waiting for him outside the detention room. She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed looking satisfied about something.

"Detention? That sucks," she said, unbothered by Gohan's predicament. She pushed off the wall and walked towards him. "It's a bit worrisome for you with that long commute isn't it?" she smirked.

"Um, yeah, so...I really have to go now," he excused himself from her and started walking quickly away from her. Of course, that didn't end up deterring her and she effortlessly kept pace with him. He may have had a foot on her but whatever training she had made her fast with little exertion on her part.

"You know, I wasn't very welcoming before. Let me walk with you to your car or jet or whatever and we can get to know each other better," she said nicely enough but Gohan knew she likely had other motives. He quickly turned away from her so she couldn't see the horror that overtook his features. _What am I going to do? I don't have a car! _Gohan suddenly stopped in his tracks, unable to keep himself from doing so.

"What's wrong?" she asked, placing herself in his path looking like the picture of innocence. Gohan had to admit, she was clever. _How am I going to get out of this?_

"No—nothing," Gohan stuttered out. "I—I—I just need to go to the bathroom again. I'm sure you heard about my issues," he didn't have to act embarrassed because he was embarrassed. "It's spontaneous, can't really wait until I get home." He dashed down the hall and went into the nearest boys' room. No way was Videl going to follow him in there, though she did chase after him and park herself outside the door.

"You know, the last guy to win the World Martial Arts Tournament before my dad was a guy named Son Goku," Videl said loudly behind the door as soon as Gohan made it inside. He paid her little attention; instead, he was looking for an escape route. "Not many people have family names these days, Son Gohan." _What is she even going on about?_

"Uh, talking makes me nervous, and I can't go," Gohan cringed at how all these lies were making him sound.

Apparently saying the talking made him nervous made Videl more eager to speak and she started prattling on about something Gohan wasn't paying attention to. "Ma jr...flying...light shows...tricks...destroyed…" he only caught snippets. Either way, it didn't seem that important. He needed to be focused on bigger things right now, like how to get out of the building and away from Videl. He looked around until he saw a narrow window up high. It would be a tight squeeze but he could do it.

He stuck his head out the window to make sure there wasn't anyone lingering around before trying to wiggle through the small window. He panicked and got stuck for a moment but was soon free and jumped down from the window. He didn't waste any time before running away from school to somewhere secluded to summon the flying nimbus.

Gohan finally breathed easy once he was in the air and on his way home, that is until he realized the implications of disappearing without a trace. It was no good, Videl was highly suspicious of him and he doubted the same excuse would work again. Luckily, today was Friday and he had the whole weekend to come up with a plan to get Videl off his tail. Maybe he could ask Bulma for a one-seater jet? _I guess I have to. _He wasn't going to do that now, however. He was too eager to see if the half-Saiyan girl was awake yet.

He pretty much hopped off the nimbus cloud as soon as he was far enough from civilization to fly home himself. As soon as he landed on his family's property, Gohan burst through his front door only to be greeted by an unexpected sight. Indeed, the mysterious girl was awake, considerably more put together, and heartily eating every dish his mother put in front of her while Goten left his own plate untouched and rattled off questions at her. _Looks like I made it in time for dinner._

No one paid any attention to him until his mom noticed he was just standing there slack-jawed. "Oh good, you're home, honey!' Chi Chi said with smiling eyes. "Bulla knows you have questions for her, but let her eat first. Do you want a snack?" His mother's chipper mood unsettled Gohan. She acted as if a family friend had come to visit not as if he brought a bleeding out stranger on the verge of death to their home. Then it registered to him, _Her name is Bulla? _He was sure now more than ever that she was somehow Bulma's daughter.

Gohan only nodded to his mother and took a seat near the girl who continued eating and didn't even acknowledge him.

"What's your favorite color?" Goten asked Bulla. Gohan leaned in too, he was keen to hear the answer. This was one of the first things he was going to learn about her aside from her name.

"Red," she answered in between bites of food.

"Wow!" his little brother said in amazement. "Mine too!" _No, it isn't! What a little liar! _"But wait, your clothes are blue," Goten pointed out to her.

"Goten, don't bother her," Gohan said and threw a sympathetic look Bulla's way even though she acted like he wasn't there. He had to admit, that was a little unsettling. Still, he didn't want Bulla to be put off by his family. For all he knew, she was ready to rush off to her parents' house. His brother may have been cute and innocent but like a lot of small children, he didn't know when to mind his own business.

Bulla swallowed what she had been eating and barely glanced at Gohan for the first time with an unreadable expression on her face and then quickly turned to his pouty brother. "You're not bothering me," she assured Goten who beamed at her and took her response as an excuse to prattle on about a bug he found. The girl—now known as Bulla—continued eating in silence occasionally nodding along to something Goten was saying.

Gohan knew he should have called Piccolo. He should have called up Bulma and Vegeta as soon as he suspected who she was. After all, his mentor had warned him that her arrival did not mean good things for their world. Gohan didn't have a good reason for it but he didn't want to share her with anyone just yet so he kept silent eating along with his brother and Bulla, waiting for a cue from her.

"May I help with the dishes, miss?" Bulla said pushing away from the table and approaching the matriarch of the household. "Thank you for the meal," she bowed respectfully. _Not what I expected._

"Oh, that's not necessary," Chi Chi responded sweetly. "I have my own dishwashers," she turned to her sons with a clenched smile and a pointed look.

"Uh right," Gohan said. _Guess the interrogation will have to wait._ "C'mon on, Goten." The two brothers got to work on the pile of dishes, pots, and pans that sat in the sink; however, Gohan kept his attention focused on Bulla while mindlessly using his muscle memory to make short work of the dishes. He occasionally looked over his shoulder to see her sitting, bouncing one leg up and down and bunching the fabric of her skirt in her hands. _What can she be nervous about? _He returned to scrubbing a particularly stubborn dirty pot but kept his ears open.

"Why don't you take a shower, dear?" Gohan could hear Chi Chi say to Bulla. "I can wash your clothes for you."

"You've already done so much for me, miss. If I can just get back to my capsule house—" she said quickly before getting cut off by his mom.

"Nonsense!" Chi Chi took on her authoritative tone, "You're only sixteen!" _Sixteen? _Gohan's ears perked up. "It's improper for a girl your age to live on your own. If you can't go to your parents' house, I must insist you stay here."

Gohan couldn't resist looking over his shoulder to see Bulla looking confused but also fighting off a smile.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality but I don't feel comfortable taking your sons' room."

"Then you can just bring your house here! They're portable, aren't they? I think we would all feel better if you were nearby. Gohan said you were living near Satan City? That's much too far."

"Yeah!" Goten piped up, taking a break from drying and putting away dishes. Evidently, he was just as interested in their conversation as Gohan was. "Come stay with us, Bulla!"

Gohan too, put down what he was doing and focused on the conversation and their guest. Bulla looked down and nervously smoothed her skirt. "I can move my house to Mount Paozu as long as it's okay with everyone," she said making eye contact with Gohan for the first time, striking him dumb.

"Uh…" he froze. _Goten is right, she is really pretty. Her hair is so long and blue and she has the prettiest pout... _

"Go-han!" Goten broke him out of his reverie, tugging on his pant leg. "Say yes."

"Oh right!" Gohan blushed. "Of course. I don't mind."

"Then it's settled!" Chi Chi clasped her hands together. "Gohan, go with Bulla to pick up her things," she did not _suggest _she _ordered._

Gohan had a slight moment of panic from the thought of being alone with her but quashed it down. _Isn't this what you were waiting for?_

"Can I come too?" Goten asked, bouncing in excitement.

"No you may not," their mother answered. "We still need to finish these dishes!" she told the disappointed Goten and shoved a dish towel into his small hands.

Bulla offered to stay longer and help but Chi Chi practically pushed both of them out the door, leaving them alone together for the first time.

"Do you mind if we use the flying nimbus?" he asked her as they stood there awkwardly. _There's nothing to be afraid of, _Gohan coached himself. _She has mom's trust, she's not an enemy...But why does she scare me more than anyone else I've ever faced? She scares me almost as much as Videl does._

"What's that?" she asked. "Can't we fly?"

"It's a cloud," he realized it sounded more than a little crazy and dumb but it was also an opportunity to get a definitive answer on Bulla's motives.

"Flying nimbus!" he called out. The yellow cloud zoomed out of nowhere to float by their feet. "Hop on," he told her and did so himself, feeling the sturdiness of the cloud beneath him.

Her eyes lit up and she gingerly stepped on the cloud with one boot-clad foot first. "That's so cool!" she said standing steady. "This is amazing," she said, hopping up and down, still not falling through. "Is this magic?"

Gohan smiled at her excitement but it was little relief that Bulla was pure-hearted. By all indications, it wasn't as if she came here for fun. "Magic doesn't exist where you're from?"

Bulla shook her head. "So will this get us there faster than flying?" she asked, settling down and sitting.

"No, not exactly," Gohan sat down with Bulla behind him. "No one can see us from below," he turned to her and saw her eyebrow raised skeptically. "I'm—uh—trying to keep a low profile."

"I know you have a lot of questions," she said without prompting as Gohan willed the nimbus cloud up with his mind. He didn't reply to her as he was waiting for her to say more, like maybe, 'I'll answer them,' but nothing else was forthcoming from her.

He cleared his throat, "Um, right. I do." He was met with more silence. Unlike how his dad might have reacted, Gohan got the hint and didn't say anything but instead willed the flying nimbus cloud to take off. He heard a small shriek from Bulla and felt her arms reflexively grab onto his middle.

"Not used to that, are you?" Gohan called out behind him. He felt rather than saw her shake her head. Once they were steady, Bulla removed her arms from Gohan's middle which he told himself he didn't mind at all.

The ride wouldn't be long and since he had a captive audience, Gohan thought he ought to take advantage before they reached the forest between Backpack Town and Satan City, but she got to him first.

"Is your mother under the impression I'll disappear if she tells my family I'm here?"

Gohan cringed. He never liked lying, not that he was any good at it in the first place and likely to get away with it. "Yes," he admitted. "Have you talked to her already?" He might as well use this opportunity to find out what his mom knew.

"Of course, I think she has the right to know who you brought to your house all beat up and bloody."

The forest was in sight and Gohan used his thoughts to guide the cloud down roughly to where Gohan found Bulla.

"Just a question," Gohan stated as they descended. "But why are you so calm?" The way she had attacked him initially made Gohan think she may have been more of a loose cannon. He stepped off the cloud first and held out his hand to her.

"Oh sorry," she said, having the grace to look embarrassed and stepped off the cloud, accepting his assistance. A shock of pleasure traveled up his arm when their hands made contact but Gohan shook it off. He needed to stay focused. "About the Masenko blast I threw your way, that is."

"Huh?" he asked, confused having forgotten what she was talking about. "Oh right!" he said, realizing what she was apologizing for. "It's okay, no harm done."

She looked around the dense forest, no doubt trying to find her stuff. "I was—um—disoriented?" She trekked deeper into the woods giving Gohan no choice but to follow her.

"Yeah, no doubt," Gohan agreed. He pushed some branches out of the way as he kept pace with her. "You were in really bad shape."

"You just reminded me of something," she turned back to say to him, giving him the once over with her eyes. He felt strangely bare in front of her and his mind was running wild with paranoid thoughts about how inadequate she found him.

"Something not good I'm guessing?" he reflexively gulped.

"That would be an understatement," she said turning away from him and forging ahead.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gohan wasn't sure of what else to say. It's not like he had much experience talking to girls and even less in talking about someone else's difficult experiences. Normally, that was his wheelhouse.

"Not at the moment. No," she said, still facing ahead, not letting him see her expression. Neither of them spoke as they trekked deeper into the forest. Gohan because he felt intimidated into silence. There were only the sounds of leaves and twigs breaking beneath their feet.

Gohan saw no point in following behind her so he sped up a bit to walk next to her. Had he not been waiting for the opportunity to talk to her and find out why she was here? Why was he tongue-tied all of sudden? It was time to snap out of it.

"How did you do that with my mom?" Gohan asked. His mother was generally wary of new people, it was a safer subject than her past—or rather future?

"Do what?" she stopped walking and turned to him quizzically.

"She likes you," he said. "You don't even know us, why do you and my mom trust each other already?" He could tell by the way Chi Chi treated her. She never much liked having Piccolo or any of his dad's other friends around, not even Bulma but she was practically cooing over Bulla.

"A lot of people like me," Bulla shrugged and continued walking but at a faster pace. "But I told you, she knows all about me now." Gohan had a feeling that was just her way of deflecting the question. Once again, he had to speed up to catch up with her.

"Why are you willing to stay on Mount Paozu though?" Gohan asked. "Most people like being near civilization and excitement."

"I like it there, it reminds me of happier times," Bulla said quietly and grazed her fingers over some leaves as she walked by a long hanging branch. "I think you've probably figured me out already. Your mom was telling me how smart you are." Bulla turned her radiant big blue eyes at him. _Those things are like a weapon, _Gohan thought but she quickly looked away unknowingly taking away her power over Gohan.

He nodded. "Can you at least tell me where or maybe _when_ you're from?" he prodded.

She sighed, not in exasperation or resignation, but out of sadness with her vision focused forward instead of Gohan who was at her side. "The same as my brother. You met him."

"So you are from the same timeline as the Trunks that came here from the future?" Gohan asked, looking for confirmation of his hypothesis.

"Yes, he told me a lot about you," she quickly turned to face him. "He said you were powerful, more powerful than your dad who our mom always talked up. He also talked a lot about the you from my timeline. You meant a lot to him."

Gohan's mind started to fill with dread. She looked so earnest and hopeful as she stared at him. What was she expecting from him? He was no true warrior, at least that's what Vegeta was always telling him. _Is that why you came here? Do you need me?_ He didn't want to ask because he was afraid of the answer. He had been wrong before, he wanted to send her to her parents and let them deal with everything. Vegeta would relish the opportunity to fight a new, more powerful enemy.

"Trunks never mentioned a sister," he said trying to steer the conversation away from him and back to her. He knew she was telling the truth but the explanation for her existence eluded him. "He said that he never knew his dad either, that he died."

"That's true, or at least what I've heard," she said. They began to slow down as it seemed they were approaching where she left her house, "He took off in a spaceship he stole from my mom while she was pregnant with Trunks," she explained. "He came back thirteen years later and only stayed long enough to die and knock up my mom," she paused for a second. "But not in that order," she amended.

"I'm sorry," was all Gohan could offer her. He wanted and knew he needed to ask her more but would she be forthcoming?

"Don't be, of all the things I've lost, losing him hurts the least," she said bluntly. "In fact, it doesn't hurt me at all."

Gohan swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "What have you lost?"

"Everything."

* * *

A/N: So I am playing fast and loose with the timeline rules and canon. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Once again, special thanks to my reviewers! You're great motivation because sometimes I feel like I cannot be bothered.


	4. Chapter 4

Gohan knew they should be returning to Mount Paozu; it didn't matter where he heard Bulla's story. The sun had set and it was dark. If they weren't home soon enough, his mother would worry and that wasn't fair to her. Nevertheless, they stayed put near Backpack Town on a secluded mountain overlooking Satan City. Gohan looked down at the small pinpricks of light clustered together, knowing whether he liked it or not, one of the few things that stood between them and total destruction was himself and according to Bulla, destruction was coming.

"So there's no timeline to go back to?" Gohan wasn't sure if he was hearing her right. Then again, when Piccolo read her mind he had mentioned seeing nothing and from what Gohan observed from Bulla, it wasn't because she was empty-headed. "How is that even possible?"

Bulla shook her head, clutching the broken sword she had previously wielded at him close to her chest. "I don't really remember everything. I was the first one cut down before everything started to disappear."

"Start from the beginning then," Gohan nudged her on.

"Ten years," she whispered. "It was ten years and we had almost rebuilt," she said through gritted teeth. Bulla paused for a long while and looked away from Gohan before taking a shaky breath and continuing. It was dark but he saw how her eyes had become red-rimmed. "My brother left me in charge of protecting the few remaining humans while he used the time machine to get help."

"Help from whom?" Trunks hadn't come here. If Gohan was doing the math right, Bulla was from twenty-two years in the future. There was a whole stretch of time in his own future unaccounted for, what year did Trunks go back to?

"I'm assuming you guys, the whole cadre of fighters—well, those willing to travel," she said, shrugging. "I didn't get to meet any of them. I had been sent to look for survivors in the small villages away from the big cities as soon as Trunks got back," she stopped to wipe her eyes with her oversized sleeves, "I didn't find anyone alive." Gohan froze knowing the implication of her words.

"I'm sorry." How many times was Gohan going to end up saying that through her story? He knew how little sorries meant in the face of a great loss but his mind was reeling. "Who did all this? Was it another one of Gero's creations? Was it Cell?"

"No," Bulla shook her head. "It was black."

"What was black? Was it a creature? An alien?" He had seen all sorts of species on Namek, but they were all dead. At the time, they seemed like the most ferocious beings in the universe. Were there worse things out there?

"No. A person. Just like you." Bulla's expression immediately transformed into ferocity and anger. "We called him Black because he was pure evil. He liked to toy with me; he got this sick pleasure out of it. I think more so than torturing my brother or just murdering people indiscriminately but he never really hurt me," she frowned. "He just liked to get me agitated and exhausted until I would retreat to fight another day." None of that really answered Gohan's questions but he figured it would be best to let her tell her story in her own way.

"He showed up one year ago killing anyone in sight, but not before destroying our food supply. Genocide is more effective that way I guess," Bulla said with a far-off look in her eyes, seemingly disconnected from the situation.

"That's terrible," Gohan couldn't help but blurt out. Bulla nodded and then took a deep breath.

"The reason I freaked out on you when you found me is because of how you looked," there was a pregnant pause in which Bulla seemed to be weighing her options. "Black has a face like yours, in my delirium, I thought I was facing off against him again."

"What?!" Gohan jumped back shocked. "Am I Black? Were you sent back in time to kill me before I kill everyone?" He began to fidget and panic, a cold sweat coming over him. _Am I going to be the reason for the end of existence?_

"What? No!" Bulla looked at him oddly. "Truthfully, I have no idea why I was sent here or even if it was purposeful. I am choosing to assume there is a reason." The first of many more questions on his mind was the revelation that she didn't choose to come here but he stayed latched onto the idea that she was escaping a guy who looked liked himself.

"But he looks like me?"

"Yes, but not exactly like you. My mom had taken to calling him Goku Black because he looked exactly like your dad."

Gohan's heart hardened and his demeanor became severe, "Have you come here to kill Goten? Because I am not going to let you do that." There was no way he would let her do anything to his little brother, destroyer of worlds or not.

"No! Would you stop and let me finish? Besides he was never born in my timeline," she growled at him. Gohan supposed he could have had more patience but her story was making him scared and wary.

"He _looks_ like your dad—that's what both my mom and brother said since they actually knew him—but according to my brother, Black doesn't have the same energy signature as your dad and knowing Goten's energy, it's not the same at all either," she explained. "I have to admit Goten as the culprit did cross my mind," she said, giving him a wry smile. "It was as if someone had stolen your dad's body but according to Trunks, Black is far more powerful than your dad was and more to the point your dad is dead in both our timelines."

"Yes," Gohan said, sadness washing over him and the guilt creeping up on him. Gohan tried to stay focused on all the unanswered questions in his head instead of the distraction of his unresolved feelings. "So you have no idea who Black is?"

"Not a clue," she shook her head. "There wasn't much time to fill me in. I felt the battle taking place and I rushed over as quickly as I could but Black wasn't there. Instead, it was this strange deformed and grotesque creature; I never had a chance," she said. "It came right at me with a blade it made with its own energy to slash me across the stomach and it hurt so bad that I had to fight to stay conscious while the fighting went on around me.

"I don't know what happened; I could barely keep my eyes open. It sounds a little insane but some sort of robot cauterized my wound and gave me some energy?" she said questioningly like it sounded silly to her own ears. "It kept me alive at any rate. It put me in the time machine...I saw my brother closing the hatch and faces," she paused seemingly almost losing herself. "So many of the same faces everywhere laughing malevolently. Then the same faces panicking before everything started to dissolve and turn white but I was being sucked away in the time machine. When I woke up, I was here, in this timeline. Even though I was weak I felt their distress and their fear. I couldn't stay away; I had to help," she finished.

"The bank robbery," Gohan stated, realizing they had reached the present time in her story.

"Yes, and everything else. Lucky for me, there was a capsule case in the time machine so I didn't need to sleep outside," she said. They both stayed quiet for a while. Gohan stared at her, taking everything in, while she looked ahead at the city lights. Then much to Gohan's surprise, she smirked. "Did you get all that Mr. Piccolo?" Bulla called out loudly in no specific direction. Gohan heard rather than saw the normally stoic Namekian sputter before he floated toward them, with a purple blush appearing on his green skin. "The androids never gave off any energy. Trunks taught me not to rely on sensing ki," she explained without being asked.

"You two probably have a lot to talk about," she told the two warriors. "I'll meet you back at Mount Paozu, Gohan. It's dark enough that people won't see me or perhaps people will just think I'm a plane," she said before powering up and flying off in the distance, not giving them any chance to respond.

"She's not telling us everything," Piccolo informed him once Bulla was already hundreds of kilometers away.

"What do you mean? And how long were you following us?" Gohan asked his old mentor. From everything she said, and her behavior, Gohan found her incredibly trustworthy but he had to at least listen to his oldest friend.

"She's withholding something," the stoic warrior said. "And I never left when you first brought her to your home. I've been watching over her ever since."

Gohan opted to ignore the second part of Piccolo's statement and focused on the first. "Is it really that important that she's not telling us everything?"

"Not sure," Piccolo stated. "She could be thinking like Trunks and is cautious about changing too many things. She hasn't said anything about going to see her parents has she?"

"No, not exactly," Gohan said knowing part of that was his fault. He thought to himself what he would do if he had a chance to see his dad again. He would probably run into his arms.

"Whatever the reason, keep an eye out for anything," Piccolo said and with a swish of his cape he took off to who knows where.

If this Goku Black was the problem, why on Earth was she here and now? They would have years to prepare if he was a factor in this timeline as well. These thoughts preoccupied Gohan's mind while he rode the nimbus cloud home. No doubt, Bulla had gotten there far before him. He could sense her power, she was no weakling, the fact that she could turn Super Saiyan when she was on the verge of death said a lot too.

When he got home, he saw Bulla had already set up her capsule house. The lights were on and he wondered if it was an invitation to join her but as he stood there contemplating, the windows went dark answering his question for him and he went inside his own home fully expecting everyone else to have retired. Instead, he saw his mother waiting up for him.

"Did Bulla say anything before she went to bed?" Gohan asked his mom.

"Nothing in particular, just that she's tired," Chi Chi shrugged and got up, seemingly ready to head to her bedroom.

"Mom, can I ask you something?" Gohan blurted out, stopping Chi Chi in her tracks. His family was rarely the type to talk about their feelings and misgivings.

"Are you really okay with Bulla here? What made you trust her so fast?"

Chi Chi looked at him puzzled as if the answer was obvious, "Yes, and it's because _you_ brought her here." She didn't wait for Gohan to say anything else and retreated to her bedroom leaving Gohan to do the same.

Before going to bed, Gohan took a moment to study Goten. Someone with a face exactly like his was responsible for destroying Earth, maybe even the whole universe. It was hard to believe; his brother was so innocent. Deep down, those thoughts frightened him. He had to take solace in the fact that it seemed like there was someone here who could hopefully prevent it from becoming inevitable. He wasn't so sure how he felt about it being _him._

As he laid awake, Gohan's mind drifted to darker possibilities. Trunks' arrival had made a lot of butterflies, chief of which was Cell, but he did bring a cure for his dad, though it didn't even end up mattering in the long run. He still died, Gohan thought as he willed the tears not to form.

That night Gohan dreamed of his dad cutting down people who ran from him in terror, of Bulla being slashed across the stomach, bleeding out with no one to help her, and him standing there frozen and unable to move like he was that five year old boy being forced to face death again.

Gohan awoke with a start, surprised he could still move. Once she shook off the drowsiness and got his bearings he realized where he was and started to calm down, realizing his dreams were just that, dreams. Where was Goten though? He looked around wildly to see his brother's bed empty and the blankets disturbed. Normally, the little guy was quick to hop on Gohan to wake him up to play or something. Not waiting for an explanation, Gohan rushed out of their shared room and upon seeing no one—not even his mom—rushed outside to where he felt Goten's wild ki.

When he saw the scene in front of him, he didn't know whether to be relieved or alarmed.

"You're a Super Saiyan, Goten?!" Unfortunately, his outburst had distracted poor Goten and Bulla landed a hit that sent him flying a few feet.

"Pay attention, Goten!" Bulla demanded as she jogged over to the little Super Saiyan and helped him up. To his credit, Goten didn't look fazed in the slightest.

"Gohan!" Goten said rushing to Gohan excitedly. "Bulla is training me and she even says she can teach me to fly!" he threw up his arms enthusiastically.

"But—what—how?" Gohan stumbled over his words. "Since when are you a Super Saiyan? Since when do you even _fight?_" From what little he saw of Goten and Bulla sparring, Gohan could see Goten was making precise punches and kicks even though Bulla was blocking them all in her base form.

"Mom trains me sometimes but she doesn't like when I can change my hair, but Bulla said she doesn't care!" Goten said practically bouncing.

"It's not enough just to know katas," Bulla interrupted the two brothers. "You must be strong! Your spirit must be balanced and you must train your body to move without thinking. Gohan!" She turned sharply to the teen boy, her demeanor more like that of a drill sergeant than the timid but friendly girl he met yesterday.

"Me?" he couldn't help but squeak. Today he found her intimidating and serious.

"Of course you!" she barked. "Put your training clothes on and join us. I can tell you've gone soft," she poked his chest with her broken sword to emphasize her point. Where did that come from? Gohan wondered. "We can't have that, who knows what new crisis is on the horizon? The world needs you to be prepared!"

"And that goes for you too!" Bulla said sharply, turning her attention to Goten who Gohan had figured Bulla had been humoring at first. The little boy squeaked in surprise. "Now go pick up that boulder over there and run five kilometers and back!" she ordered Goten who hastily complied looking thoroughly intimidated. "And then do it ten more times!" she yelled after him.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" she asked him looking him up and down. Gohan had been in such a rush to find Goten to calm his nerves that he forgot how he was dressed, he even forgot they had a female guest—a female guest, _his age._

His cheeks reddened and he rushed back inside feeling embarrassed. He quickly pulled out his gi before he stopped to ask himself a few questions: Why am I listening to her? What can I possibly learn from her?

Nevertheless, he complied. He didn't want to know what would happen if she got angry. His mother was pure of heart as well but that didn't preclude her from being scary when she was furious.

Gohan opened his front door a crack and warily peeked outside to see what Bulla was doing and much to his horror she was staring right at him.

"What are you doing?" she demanded and started to march toward him. Gohan screamed internally and ran outside to join her.

"Nothing!" he proclaimed his innocence. "I'm just not sure why we're doing this. It's been peaceful here for seven y—"

"And I thought the same thing," she cut him off. "We all did, but ten years later we were challenged again and we lost. I won't let it happen here too." Silence hung over them as Gohan considered her words. They had been forewarned of the androids and at least the extra training and preparation had spared the lives of their friends but his dad dying in the other timeline hadn't stopped Gero from releasing the androids there either. What if his dad's death wasn't the solution to peace on Earth like he hoped it was? Then that meant Goku's sacrifice had been in vain, Gohan thought bitterly. His father's words echoing in his head. "_Gohan! You're the only one who can finish it!" _

"Okay, fine. We can train for a while but I still need to do my homework and study," he compromised.

Bulla nodded in agreement, "Then show me what you've got." She got into a familiar fighting position, the one he had seen on her brother years earlier.

Knowing she wanted him to go all out, he effortlessly transformed into Super Saiyan but Bulla remained in her base form. "Why aren't you ascending?"

"I don't know. Do I need to?" she said smirking, still in her fighting stance. "I know what you're thinking and don't you dare hold back."

The girl was probably getting in over her head. As far as he could tell, her power level was adequate but no match for a Super Saiyan. He didn't want to hurt her but he knew she was testing him. He figured a good show of his speed would be a sweeping kick to knock her down, thinking that it probably wouldn't hurt her too much.

Knowing she was waiting, Gohan made the first move and closed the distance between them as fast as he could before sweeping her legs, but much to his surprise she caught onto what he was doing and jumped away in time, still in her base form.

"You can do better than that," she chided. "Don't be afraid to _really _come at me. I can take it, I promise," she reassured him.

_Okay then, _he thought to himself. He tried to knee her in the stomach but she was able to block it with her hands. When he tried to punch her, she moved out of the way effortlessly. Every limb thrown her way was dodged or blocked without her even trying to retaliate. It only went on for a few moments before Bulla stopped him by simply pushing him off his feet.

"Is that—" she looked at him in surprise from where she stood above him. "Is that the best you can do?" she asked without malice.

"Um, I don't know?" Gohan answered honestly. "I haven't felt the pull to train, so I didn't," he shrugged.

"But my brother said your power was unfathomable," she said, looking severely disappointed. She held out her hand which Gohan took and she helped him up.

"You've caught me off guard. I was never expecting a girl from the future to show up and demand I start training at a moment's notice," he said dusting off his pants.

"And that's why you won't be prepared for what's coming," she said looking serious and then sighing, rubbing her temples. "Trunks sent me here for a reason, I know he did," she wasn't even looking at him but staring off into nowhere, seemingly talking to herself. "But the best I can figure out is to make sure you are at your best," she said turning to him, looking as earnest as Gohan had ever seen. "Let's go again," she said. No room for arguments, Gohan guessed.

Gohan expected more of the same, him trying and failing to land a hit on her, but out of nowhere, she slapped him, _hard._

"What was that for?" he said clutching his cheek where it started to sting. It wasn't enough to knock him off his feet but his face was throbbing with pain. Gohan had to dodge when instead of answering, Bulla threw another punch and then another, this one slightly grazing him. Despite the pain, Gohan couldn't help the smirk that was forming on his face. It had been a long time since he had been challenged like this and if he was being honest with himself, it was firing him up.

Slowly but surely, he was falling back into the old rhythm of fighting. Of course, at the moment he was on the defense. He was thinking a bit too much but it was hard to focus when he was trying not to get hit. Bulla was a little hellcat, going after him with such ferocity. When he thought he had managed to dodge one attack, Bulla was primed for another one. Ironically, he could tell that she was most definitely holding back on him.

Soon Gohan figured out the pattern to her attacks. If he blocked a kick she would be ready with a punch, if he dodged one fist to his head, the other would be headed to his core. He wasn't sure if it was deliberate on her part to have him figure it out but he was finally a step ahead of her and took advantage. Knowing she was going for his stomach once he dodged, he didn't give her the chance to follow through. He brought his leg up, effectively blocking her and with his left arm punched her cheek, finally landing a hit. She didn't even flinch.

"Good," she smiled, completely unbothered that she just took a punch that would blow any other human's head off. "You're learning," she nodded in approval. "Let's go again."

"No fair!" the familiar voice of his little brother interrupted them. "Why does Gohan get to play showdown with you and I have to carry rocks?" Goten crossed his arms and pouted.

Instead of returning to drill instructor mode, Bulla went to approach Goten and hunched down to his level. "You are absolutely right, Goten," she said ruffling his hair. "Gohan isn't going to get stronger with just sparring." She turned to Gohan with a wicked smile on her face, "Get into base form and carry that," she pointed to a boulder twice as large as the one Goten had carried in the distance, "Ten kilometers and back all the while doing lunges."

"What? Why?" he didn't see much wisdom in the action.

Bulla stood up and stared at him seriously, "You rely too much on the Super Saiyan transformation thinking that is the end all be all. Let me tell you, it's not. You'll never reach your peak if you turn Super Saiyan every time something gets difficult."

"B-But my studies," Gohan protested weakly. He had only meant to humor her but she was decidedly more determined to mold him into shape.

"That boulder walk won't take you long and you know it," she said, dismissing his concerns. "Come on, Goten," she ignored Gohan in favor of his little brother. "Before you can fly, you need to learn how to properly control your energy," she said leading him away.

Gohan looked at the daunting boulder in the distance. He knew it would probably take a human all day if humans were able to lift massive boulders but he could probably knock out the task in a few hours. He still didn't know why he kowtowed to her so easily but he wasn't eager to fight her on anything, unless she asked, of course.

I have gone soft, Gohan thought as he struggled to pick up the boulder. It was uncomfortably heavy but he was determined to make it through the day.

Twenty kilometers of lunges later and he was exhausted, his muscles were screaming, and he was ready to hit the shower. Luckily, he returned home in time for lunch. Already, Goten and Bulla were eating outside with his mom laughing about something. It was a nice scene, Gohan thought, especially because Bulla probably hadn't had a moment like this in a while and it was nice to see her relax. He opted to delay the shower and joined them.

Gohan was too exhausted to make conversation but it was pleasant enough listening to Goten tell Bulla stories about their animal friends that lived nearby and how he caught a really big fish one time. All the while Bulla indulged the little boy with her attention.

"I can help with clearing the table so Gohan can get started on his homework," Bulla said to Chi Chi while getting up after everyone had finished eating. It didn't look like she had even broken a sweat that morning and with how powerful she seemed to be, she probably hadn't.

"Thank you, Bulla, that would be a tremendous help," Gohan's mother said smiling sincerely at Bulla. "Now you don't have an excuse not to get started, Gohan," she added to him pointedly.

"I'll help too!" Goten jumped up excitedly and began gathering plates and taking them inside.

Gohan retreated to his room knowing he had a few hours alone to do his homework and get some studying in _which_ he fully intended to take advantage of _but_ his thoughts continued to wander to the blue-haired girl who came into his life like a hurricane and it became hard to focus, so much so, that completing his schoolwork took far longer than he had expected.

"It's Saturday, Gohan. Don't you have any friends?" Bulla said waltzing into his room once night fell. "I figured you would probably be done by now." He had just managed to finish what was due Monday but didn't find the time to get ahead in his studies.

"Um, maybe?" Gohan put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "I just started school, a real school," he began to explain. "I was homeschooled before and if you couldn't tell, there's no one else around for kilometers," he said. "There's this one girl Erasa and she's really nice and I think maybe this guy Sharpner is warming up to me?" He paused wondering if he should mention the Videl girl, she wasn't exactly a friend nor was she warming up to him but he didn't exactly have anyone to confide in either. "Then there's Videl—"

"Who's Videl?" Bulla asked, settling herself on Gohan's desk with her legs crossed. It looked a little provocative to Gohan but he pushed that thought away though it was difficult. She was right next to him, after all.

"She's this girl at school who's been following me—"

"Following you?" Bulla scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yeah, I think she suspects I may be more than I seem," Gohan was actually finding it quite comforting he had someone to talk to about this. All he had at home was Goten, who was too young to understand, and his mom, who didn't seem to trust any outsiders and would freak out over Videl's snooping and probably pull him out of school which he didn't want; he liked it there despite the rumors about his bowels.

"Why would she think that?" Bulla scoffed. Gohan tried not to be offended.

Gohan scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed, "Um, before you got here. I was the one going Super Saiyan and stopping bank robberies. Now everyone thinks you and I are a crime-fighting team, The Golden Fighters, with secret identities, kind of like superheroes."

Bulla burst out laughing at his revelation. "Really? Me too?" she said in between giggles. "I can't say the people of Satan City come up with great names."

"I didn't get to go to school either," Bulla confessed once she had stopped laughing. "Large gatherings were like a beacon to the androids. Plus, a lot of people weren't having kids in the thick of it. My mom says I was the surprise of her life," she smiled sadly.

"Besides your stalker, what's going to high school really like?" She looked at him in fervent curiosity. "My mom and I would watch old movies; it was one of the few forms of entertainment we had around. I really liked the teen ones especially that one about that really rich girl who thinks she's got it all figured out but is totally oblivious. Have you seen it?"

Gohan shook his head, "My parents weren't big on that kind of media. I usually read books."

"I guess we're both just sad sacks, sort of living vicariously through other people's stories," she said self-deprecatingly. "Oh, but I think I have an idea to get Videl off your back if you need it," she added.

"Oh yeah?" Gohan hunched forward. "That's one less thing to worry about."

"Just let me take care of all the goings-on in Satan City. I can move fast enough that people won't be able to tell which Golden Fighter is beating the bad guys," she said and did a few shadow punches.

"Then would you mind wearing my spare school badge?" Bulla lifted a skeptical eyebrow at his question. "I, um, forgot to take it off the last time I transformed around there."

Bulla rolled her eyes but nodded.

"Do you also maybe happen to have a one-seater plane with you?" he asked, pressing his luck. He didn't think he could pull the same trick on Videl twice and he couldn't very well show her that his "ride" was a magical cloud.

"The time machine fits one but it won't fly. It's out of fuel and I doubt you guys have the capability to make it yet," Bulla offered.

"That's no good," Gohan slumped over in his seat. "I don't think Videl will leave me alone until she sees me take off."

Bulla looked at him with pity. "It was Trunks' capsule case, he might have something in there and if I do find one you can pay me back by taking me to one of your school festivals. I've never been to one," Bulla said jumping off his desk and holding out her hand.

"Of course," Gohan said, shaking her hand. He hadn't been to one either, it would be a new experience for both of them. "What are friends for?"

"I've never had a friend my age before," Bulla said shyly, not letting go of his hand.

"You know what? Me neither."


End file.
